Let’s see… since the disastrous 2012 season, we’ve experienced two bad seasons prior to this as Cleveland baseball fans:
2021 – On August 25th, Cleveland was 62-62, -18 run differential (expected record 60-64)
2023 – On August 25th, Cleveland was 61-68, -8 run differential (expected record: 64-65)
2025 – On August 25th, Cleveland was 64-66, -59 run differential (expected record is 58-72)
As you may have heard, the team hasn’t been shut out three games in a row since 1991. In 1991 on August 25th, they
were 41-82. That’s the kind of ineptitude we are dealing with.
Every single hitter on this roster is lost right now. Even Jose Ramirez. Hard not to conclude that these are the wrong coaches to communicate with them. Could they eventually become the right coaches? Sure. They could. They could also just simply be the wrong people for the job.
To top it all off, the manager and the team’s pitcher who got the big offseason extension had a public confrontation in the dugout. In postgame, Vogt described Bibee as “trying to fire the boys up” and telling him he “needed to take that to the dugout.” I am going to tell you what that means without the spin. Bibee was telling his team they needed to shape up and play right when Bibee has been the number one most disappointing player on this roster and he doesn’t really have the standing to do that.
Also, I wanted to note that the Athletic’s Zack Meisel was the reporter who asked about that moment and asked a follow-up to dig deeper. So, credit to him.
Every time I think I’ve finally grieved this season, they find a new way to disappoint and embarras me as a fan. Every time I feel like they’ve shown some life, they make the absolute worst kind of Guardians’ social media analysts look prescient by being just awful at baseball. I am sure there will be more highlights to this year before it grinds to halt and I convince myself that I can feel some sort of affection for the Mariners, Padres or Phillies for the playoffs.. but right now, it feels like it’ll be one gut punch after another. And, I guess I don’t think Guardians fans deserve that after seeing their team make an ALCS run, and I hope Paul Dolan holds someone accountable for it.
But, I won’t hold my breath.
